Dreams Of Legends: Character Reflections
by 0oLady-Deliriumo0
Summary: The Dragonborn is not the only one to be tormented by the atrocities she has committed.
1. Dynari LaChance

Dreams Of Legends Short

Character Self Reflection

Dynari LaChance

I was never a jealous person, until the age of eight when my parents told me that there would be a new addition to our family; my mother was pregnant. I had been the center of attention for eight years and I didn't feel like giving that up, but pregnancy was rather final.

It was dangerous business to have a child in a time where prenatal care was limited and my mother was lucky to have carried me to full term. This new sibling of mine however was not so lucky, at just under 6 months my mother went into labor. The delivery was difficult and almost cost my mother her life, the baby girl was small enough to fit on my petite forearm. My parents named her Viera even though they were resigned to the fact that she had a high risk of dying in the next few days. I remember not enjoying looking at her, she was flushed rather red and I could see her tiny veins through her skin.

I felt no sisterly bond with her, and the more I looked at her the more I felt an overwhelming, violent, vile hate seething from deep within me. I knew how wrong it was for me to feel like that but I still found myself counting the days that she had persisted to stay alive. As days grew into weeks, that all consuming hate ripped itself from me and began to live and breathe on it's own. Three weeks had passed before my jealous eight-year-old mind finally snapped, I could no longer deal with her existing.

Vlindrel Hall had no doors, and my parents bedroom was directly crossed the kitchen from my room. They were heavy sleepers though, so picking up a baby that hardly had enough energy to move her arms let alone cry, would be easy for me. So I went over to her cradle that was next to my bed and plucked her up into my arms, she didn't even utter a whimper of surprise. I huddled her blanketed form against my chest and glanced over my shoulder into my parents room, they were still sleeping soundly. I drew in a deep, quiet breath and then snuck from my room to the front door and out it.

It was maybe two in the morning, no one was out wandering the streets of Markarth, the beggars were asleep and even the city watch numbers had dwindled. The silence was eerie, the air still and it felt so much thicker than it usually did, I could feel it's sharp coldness bite my bare feet and hands. I glued my body into the shadows and slunk along the rocky walls as best as I could with a small baby in my arms.

I made my way to the river that ran next to Cidhna mine, my thoughts were blank as I kneeled next to the water and began to take Viera from my arms and lower her tiny form into the violently cold water. It was then I felt her begin to struggle, but it wasn't strong enough to deter me, my arms were locked in place, my mind wasn't processing anything and my eyes must of reflected that complete lack of emotion. Slowly, her movements stopped and what felt like eternity was only two minutes. I pulled her body back up from the water and her eyes were still open, looking at me with such a terrifying emptiness that I dropped her and she landed with a soft 'Thud' on the flagstone ground.

Then I began to panic, I realized what I had done. My heart sped up and I could hear it's deafening sound in my ears. What had I done? I just killed my own flesh and blood, a precious little infant, and for what, because I was jealous? I had such a strong urge then to let out a cry for help, but I held myself back. My parents would disown me if they ever found out so I couldn't cry for help...I had to get rid of the body.

Sniffling now as tears of sheer terror began to well in my eyes, I picked up Viera's limp body and bundled it back in the blanket again. I then looked for a place to hide her, I quickly and silently dashed around the streets in the generous cover of the shadows. I looked everywhere, for a loose rock or a patch of ground that wasn't covered by flagstone or granite; all the while avoiding the few guards who still patrolled the streets.

I was out of breath before I got to the walkway underneath the temple of Dibella, I slowed down and in my frustration, and let my anger loose on a rock. My breath hitched as I resisted the urge to let out a wail of pain, I glanced down at my bleeding toe and then noticed that the piece flagstone I kicked had moved. I furrowed my brow and leaned forward, pushing the rock over more with my good foot. There covered by the rock was a foot and half deep hollow with nothing in it. I almost began to cackle with some sort of sick satisfaction of finding a place to hide the body of my slain sibling.

Shaking, I lowered Viera's body into the hollow gently as her dead eyes stared up at me. The realization of what I had done came back to me and tears began to well in my eyes again. The hate that I had felt for her not more than one hour prior, I was now directing at myself, I still don't know how an eight-year-old child could harbor such malice; but I did.

I took the rock and laid it over the hollow, watching as the dark swallowed the light of the torches that cascaded down onto her face from overhead. The rock fit snugly into place and I got up and jumped on it just to make sure. It didn't budge. Now it was time to go back home, sneak into my bed and pretend as if she was kidnapped. As I walked I dug my fingernails into my palms, feeling the warm sticky blood trickle out over my hands, it's metallic smell forcing itself into my nose, I felt sick.

As I neared my home I looked up to where the door was, and saw someone walking up to it and go inside. I recognized the familiar dark blue and gold robes, It was Arterion, a Thalmor who gave my parents gems for their jewelry smithing business. He was known to pop in late at night though I never could figure out why. This meant my parents would be awake and would've realized my sister and I were absent from our beds. How could I possibly lie to them now? maybe tell them that I saw her kidnapper and I went after him but he got away? or would I have to confess to the atrocity that I had committed? I bumped face first into my door before I could decide on what to say. I then drew a shaky breath, wet salty tears began to fall from eyes once more, and at that moment I went into my house.

To my surprise, I saw no sign of my parents, I just saw Arterion hunched over in one of our cupboards as if he was looking for something. I could feel my lips tremble as I began to speak.

"A-Ar-Arterion?" I was taken aback by the sound of my own voice, it was no louder than a mouse but the shrill undertones of my sobs made themselves evident. He jumped and then quickly turned around, his features softening when he realized that pitiful voice belonged to me.

"Dynari, I was looking for you. Your parents wanted me to inform you that they would be away on a trip to Cyrodiil to learn new jewelry crafting skills. They've entrusted me with watching you for that time." He said, his deep voiced Altmer accent crisp and clear, I was always Envious of how elves sounded. His face then contorted slightly, he was blind but had a good sense of smell, I guess he had picked up on the smell of my blood.

"What happened? your hands are bleeding." He said, his brow knitted in worry as he kneeled and took my tiny hands in his gigantic ones. "You're crying too, did someone hurt you?" I shook my head no as I hiccupped and more tears flowed. He reassuringly rubbed my head and then proceeded to stand and take my hand in his.

"You don't have to tell me what happened now, lets just get your hands cleaned and bandaged, alright?" I again nodded and followed him, my tears had made my face raw and it was beginning to hurt.

He gingerly washed and bandaged my hands, applying a salve of some sort to make sure the tiny crescent shaped cuts didn't get infected, it didn't even sting. He led me to my bed and tucked me in, then pulled up a chair beside me.

"Do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep?" He asked me softly, I just nodded my head because at this point my grief and hate had rendered me speechless. I clasped my hand onto his, I could only grab 3 fingers with how small hands were. He smiled and wrapped his hand around mine and gently stroked it with his thumb. I closed my eyes, tears still forming behind my eyelids as I struggled to sleep, at some point I did but I felt so guilty about it the next morning; I didn't deserve any comfort or warm words after what I had done.

That night was the very first night that I had the dream of the dragon, who spoke to me in an ancient language. His beautiful golden scales a delight for my eyes to look upon. I didn't deserve such a dream, but I didn't realize that this would be the only dream I would have for the next sixteen years. It soon became a hell for me, the questions that were never answered, and the bitter cold that grew stronger with each dream that occurred. I punished myself in the day for what I had done, and that dream punished me at night. I didn't deserve peace then, I don't deserve it now.

I can never be forgiven for what I have done, but maybe just maybe, I can redeem myself and repent for everything. That is what I have been doing all these years, saving and aiding people of different holds but even that is not enough to repent for robbing my precious sister of her life. No, not yet, but soon very soon.

There's a storm coming.


	2. Arterion

Dreams Of Legends Short

Character Self Reflection

Arterion

I stood back from the bed where the slain couple lay, their throats slit while they slumbered. Two people I had called friends, two innocent loving parents that were simply trying to make a living in a harsh country. Cassius and Viatrix LaChance, they were jewelry smiths here in Markarth. I had been given permission from the Dominion to smuggle in rare and non-native gems for them and in turn they gave us fifty percent of their profits.

Everything was going fine, they were finally making a name for themselves in this city, Then my superior Elenwen Solar gave me the order to kill them. It had to do with them smuggling gems in through the Thieves Guild, she told me that I would find the gems hidden in their home but I was to kill them first. I carried out my orders, but no gems could be found in their home aside from the ones I had brought them.

The sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach began to grow then as I thought about how the scene must of looked, Cassius' body sprawled over Viatrix in a feeble attempt to protect her. No, no, no there had to be some truth to Elenwen's order, I dropped the elven dagger from my right hand and carefully covered their bodies, my heart accelerating. I stormed off into the main part of the house and began to look through the bookshelves and the cabinets, desperately trying to find any gems at all that were not provided by myself. I found myself rustling through a cupboard with a dagger case on top of it and found nothing but order forms for different pieces that the couple had been working on. I was about to tear the wretched thing apart in anger when I heard the smallest of frightened whimpers behind me.

"A-Ar-Arterion?" I jumped and spun around, knowing exactly who it was, swearing that I had seen her asleep in her bed. I could sense her distress and feel the fear that was literally radiating from her petite form.

"Dynari, I was looking for you. Your parents wanted me to inform you that they would be away on a trip to Cyrodiil to learn new jewelry crafting skills. They've entrusted me with watching you for that time." I spoke as calmly as I could with my internal organs trembling inside of me. I then smelled the sharp and foul odor of blood, I knew it belonged to her. I quickly swooped in and kneeled in front of the child, taking her fragile injured hands in my own.

"What happened? your hands are bleeding." my fear of getting caught immediately turning into fear for her and what occurred. "You're crying too, did someone hurt you?" I could hear whimpers, I wasn't sure if they were from the pain of her injuries, her fear, or both. Trembling, she nodded her head, letting out a hiccup as she began to sob more. I didn't know what to do at this point so I simply stroked her hair trying to be as calming as I could, I then stood with one of her little hands still in mine.

"You don't have to tell me what happened now, lets just get your hands cleaned and bandaged, alright?" I told her, she gave another shaky nod and followed me to her room where a wash basin had been set out for her by her mother. I knelt in front of her again and carefully began cleaning her cuts, noting that they were self inflicted by her gouging her palms with her fingernails. I couldn't help but wonder why such a carefree child would do that to herself but it wasn't as if I could ask her, she seemed to almost be in shock. I then took a non stinging antiseptic salve that I had made and applied it to her superficial wounds, and bandaged them with a clean linen wrap that I had with me. I then helped her into bed and tucked her in, I quickly went to get a chair and sat by her bedside after that.

"Do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep?" I asked, almost crooning at her, trying to do my best to be comforting. She gave a weak nod before grabbing my hand with her fingers, I felt how small they were and smiled, I still didn't understand how an purebred Imperial was smaller than a Breton child. I gently enclosed my hand around hers and stroked it with my thumb, her eyes closed but I knew she wasn't asleep. So I stayed like that with her for half an hour until exhaustion finally got the better of her. I ever so gently tucked her hand under her sheets and then quietly snuck out of the room, I now had to focus on the terrible task at hand.

I walked into her parents room, the stench of the coagulating blood was almost enough to cause me to vomit, and the constant 'drip..drip..drip' of their blood as it hit the floor didn't help. I pulled the sheet off the bodies, knowing there was no other way of going about this I paused and went to open up two barrels that sat in their room, they didn't have anything in them thankfully enough. I clenched my jaw as I conjured a daedric blade in my left hand and against what was morally right, I began to dismember their bodies. I remember making the first sawing motion into Cassius' arm, blood sprayed over my face and drenched my silver hair and beard, I swallowed hard as it was becoming consistently more difficult not vomit.

After that first cut I don't remember much, I went about this heinous task like a machine not even hearing the crunch of bone or the pop of an artery. I was surprised that Dynari had not woken up and was very thankful for that factor. The next thing that I do remember is throwing the blanket, pillows and rug into the barrels with the couple's body parts. I then remember feeling how completely soaked to the bone I was with their blood, the vile scent was all I could smell. I had to get these clothes off but I first took the bodies and put them down in the entryway of the house and hoped with all I was that the blood wouldn't leak through before my associates came to pick them up. I then returned to their room and stripped myself out of my robes and threw them in the fireplace that was still alight in the kitchen. I rummaged through the clothes in one of their dressers, grabbing whatever I could and put it on. I then took the pitcher full of water, stuck my head over the wash basin and did the best I could at scrubbing the blood off of my face and hair. I scrubbed and scrubbed until my face felt raw and my scalp itched, but I still felt dirty.

I felt around the room, making sure nothing wet was there, smelling wouldn't of aided me any because the blood had splattered into my nostrils. When I was satisfied with the cleanup I went to Dynari's room and sat back down in the chair by her bed. I could hear her quiet breathing and my heart wrenched, I had destroyed the life of this innocent child and for what? for a bloody corrupt Thalmor Embassador that didn't know her place. The LaChances were not trading gems with anyone else, Elenwen just wanted them gone; her belief that she was a superiorly bred mer aided that and I was nothing more than her tool. How could I be such a fool, such an idiot? I had cared so deeply for this family and yet I slaughtered them in cold blood without a second thought and disposed of them like garbage. Now this delicate little child was orphaned and it was all my fault, I could only think of one thing to do, one last act of humanity.

I would raise her as my own.

I wouldn't allow her to be put in some filth ridden orphanage like Honorhall, no, I brought this upon her, I made her a victim. It would was now my responsibility to look after her for the rest of her life, and no one else's. I reached my hand forward and stroked her hair, I would never allow anyone to hurt her like I did. I would keep my foot in the door of the Dominion, but I would go by my own rules now, I was a high enough rank to do anything I wanted beneath Elenwen's radar.

That was the night I renounced everything that my race and the Thalmor had taught me, If I could rob a child that I care for of her parents, then I was no 'Superiorly bred mer'.

I was a murderer.


End file.
